UOKiK is instituting proceedings against influencers for surreptitious advertising
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) will examine the Polish market of sponsored content in social media and develop guidelines for people who earn money by promoting products and brands online, the Office informed.
During the investigation, UOKiK will investigate the relationships of the most popular influencers with advertising agencies and advertisers. The Office will analyze the activities of Kruszwil Marek Kruszel, MD Marcin Dubiel, Maffashion Julia Kuczyńska, and Marley Marlena Sojka. It will check whether the advertising content is marked at all, and if so – whether it is sufficiently clear. It will also verify the causes of the influencer's negligence, e.g. whether it is required by sponsors.
“After the end of the procedure, we do not rule out publishing guidelines for people promoting products on the Internet. We hope that it will not be necessary to resort to more drastic measures, such as financial penalties against those who, by misleading consumers, would infringe their collective interests,” the President of UOKiK said.
The survey will cover many industry entities, and they can expect calls from the Office soon. Failure to provide the information requested by UOKiK in the course of such proceedings or providing misleading information may result in a fine of up to €50 million.
